The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-02-04
Am rMpoRTArr BILL.


The House committee have reported
back the bin on taxes and tax laws, and
our legislative body cannot take action
on the measure too early. 1t is one Of
the most important bills that has been
acted upon and no measure will come
up that is of more vital interest to the
people than this. The st. Paul Pioneer
Press, in an editorial Wednesday, in re-
viewing the bill finds that 1t provides for
a complete system of county accounting,
for the collection and receipt of taxes,
for the transfer Of funds from one Office
to another; for the proper keeping of
county books, and for proceedings and
delinquent taxes, at every step ofwhich
the county auditor and county treasurer
are so intimately associated that the Of
fee of each is made ready aud perfect
check upon that ofthe other. The coun-
ty auditor is to join with the treasurer
in the collection of taxes. All receipts
for money paid to the latter for any pur-
pose are to originate in the Office of the
former. All statements of taxes and re-
ceipts are to be in duplicate, filed out
by the auditor, one copy to 60 TO the
treasurer and the other to remain in the
auditors office. The auditor charges
the treasurer with all receipts issued
each day, and the treasurer credits him
self with sums received, each receipt be-
ing noted on the books by number and
amount. Unpaid forms are TO be re-
turned to the auditor, attached to the
original, and thus stand as proof of
non-payment. This, in breif, is the sys-
tenn approved by the bill, and it is clear,
simple and admirable method of county
accounting. Inasmuch as there can be
no possible objection to the creation of
these fundamental safeguards, and as
the lack of them has been severely CEN
sured on all sides, there is no reason
why the bill should not pass without dis
sent.
There is one other measure, however,
which this improvement in the law
requires as its companion. tits, ofcourse,
impossible to put in practical operation
this system Of safeguards without re-
quiring great deal of labor. Where,
before. the county treasurer alone was
charged with certain duties, the county
auditor is now to be associated with him
There is no method of checking the
transactions of one official except by
making the duties of some other co-or-
dinate with his. This is done, in this
instance, by requiring the county audi
tor TO participate in the duties now de-
volving upon the county treasurer. The
work of the latter is not lessened, but
That of the former is immensely in
creased. Where, at present, the county
treasurer alone receives tax moneys at
different places within the county, the
auditor, under the new law, is required
to be present with him in person or de-
putty. This will necessitate the appoint
ment of deputies by the auditors, for
whose services no compensation is pro-
vided IN the bill. So, too, all receipts
are to originate in the auditors Office,
and these receipts will have to be made
out in duplicate, thus doubling the
amount of personal labor or clerical
work which now rests upon the auditor,
Il would be manifestly unjust to impose
upon this Office, already one of the most
onerous as well as most important in
county affairs, the weight of great extra
labor and expense without additional
remuneration. 1t is understood that q
bill Is to be presented which shall leave
the subject of extra compensation in the
hands of the county commissioners in
each county. This is open to no criti-
cism, since the county board can adjust
the salary of the Office in each case to
the amount of new work imposed upon
it; while it will avoid the only objection
TO the bill of Mr.. Lee, that it would be
unjust to a class of hard-worked and re-
sponsible county officers, The two
measures should be passed together,
and the finances of our counties be re-
deemed from the slipshod methods
which cannot be long continued without
public embarrassment and probable
public loss.